This invention relates to a vaginal speculum which is provided with illumination means and to an illumination attachment for a vaginal speculum.
Vaginal speculums are commonly used by gynecologists for internal examinations of female genitalia. The speculum consists of a supporting base element, a fixed jaw element which is adjustably slidably mounted on the base element and an elongated movable jaw. The fixed jaw element includes an elongated fixed jaw which extends at a right angle to the base. The movable jaw extends substantially parallel to the fixed jaw and is pivotally mounted on the base for pivoting movement toward and away from the fixed jaw. The jaws define, therebetween, an elongated viewing channel when the jaws are separated.
During vaginal examination, the jaws are inserted within the vagina in the closed position. The movable jaw is provided with a lever which enables the physician to move the movable jaw away from the fixed jaw to force the walls of the vagina apart and to form a viewing channel between the jaws. The speculum is generally provided with an adjustable stop which maintains the movable jaw in the open position so that the speculum can be released by the physician and will remain in place in the open viewing position. In order to make a proper examination, lighting must be provided. Since the physician's hands must be free for the examination for other tasks such as applying pressure on the abdomen, the assisting nurse must hold and focus the light. However, the nurse has other duties to perform, such as helping to support the patient and providing the physician with various materials which are normally associated with a vaginal examination. The holding of a light seriously interfers with the nurse's ability to efficiently assist the physician. In addition, conventional sources of light are unsatisfactory in terms of providing sufficient illumination within the viewing channel. For example, the light provided by an ordinary flashlight is generally not intense enough and the flashlight must be positioned precisely in order to focus into the viewing channel which means that the flashlight represents a viewing obstacle to the physician. The use of more intense lighting is counter-productive since the glare which is created around the speculum tends to cancel out whatever extra illumination which is provided within the viewing channel. Also, the existence of bright lights is disturbing to the patient who is likely to be nervous and self-conscious by the examination itself. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art speculums have been obviated by the present invention.
It is, therefore, a principle object of the invention to provide a vaginal speculum which is provided with fiber-optic illumination means which provides sufficient viewing light for examination and which does not interfere with the physician's ability to view the area which is being examined.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a fiber-optics illumination attachment for a vaginal speculum which provides sufficient viewing light for examination and which does not interfere with the physician's ability to view the area which is being examined.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a fiber-optic illumination means for a vaginal speculum which concentrates a light beam in the center of the viewing channel which is formed by the speculum without obstructing the viewing channel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fiber-optic illumination attachment for a vaginal speculum which includes means for mounting the attachment to the speculum so that the attachment is accurately positioned on the speculum for directing a light beam along the center of the viewing channel which is formed by the speculum.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a vaginal speculum which includes a fiber-optic illumination means which is simple in construction, and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a vaginal speculum which includes a fiber-optic illumination device which provides a maximum concentrated illumination which does not interfere with the physician's ability to view the area of examination or to create excessive brightness outside of the viewing area which might tend to be distracting to a physician and disturbing to the patient.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.